Suspended: Lt. Col. Joseph 'Jay' Morse is accused of trying to grope a female army lawyer in 2011 while they were attending a training session in Northern Virginia on prosecuting sexual assaults

The US army's top sexual assault prosecutor has been suspended for an alleged sexual assault, a defense official has revealed.

Lt. Col. Joseph 'Jay' Morse is accused of trying to grope a female army lawyer in 2011 while they were attending a training session in Northern Virginia on prosecuting sexual assaults.

Morse, who supervised the army’s almost two dozen special victims prosecutors in charge of cases of sexual assault, domestic abuse and crimes against children, has been relieved of his duties while the Army's Criminal Investigation Command probe the claims.

According to the Stars and Stripes website, which first reported the story, the alleged victim claimed that Morse tried to 'kiss and grope her against her will' in a hotel room while they attended the week-long event in the city of Alexandria. To date, no charges have been filed in the case.

Until his suspension, Morse was chief of the army's Trial Counsel Assistance Program at Fort Belvoir, which supervises attorneys who prosecute sexual assault cases. He was also the lead prosecutor in the case against Staff Sgt Robert Bales who pleaded guilty to killing 16 Afghan civilians.

It is the third time in a year that a military official involved in the prevention or handling of sex assault cases has been accused of assault.

Then in 2013, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, who was in charge of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was acquitted of charges of alleged assault and battery against a woman in the car park of a bar near the Pentagon.

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Weeks later, the Army launched an investigation into a soldier assigned as his battalion’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program coordinator for allegedly assault his peers and forcing a subordinate into prostitution.

It also comes a day after Brig. Gen Jeffrey Sinclair pleaded guilty to seeking nude photographs of junior officers and using pornography in Afghanistan. Sinclair also admitted having an adulterous affair, but is challenging charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a female captain during a three-year relationship.

Acquitted: Last year, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, who was in charge of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was acquitted of charges of alleged assault and battery against a woman near the Pentagon

Army trouble: It also comes a day after Brig. Gen Jeffrey Sinclair (left) pleaded guilty to seeking nude photographs of junior officers and using pornography in Afghanistan but is challenging charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a female captain during a three-year relationship

The revelation comes as reports of sexual abuse across the services have increased and as Congress wrangles over how to improve the military's handling of such cases.

The official says Morse has been suspended from his job pending the results of the investigation. Morse was in charge of training 23 Army prosecutors around the world who handle special victim cases. The official said the female lawyer did not work for Morse.

Morse did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Under a cloud: The revelation comes as reports of sexual abuse across the services have increased and as Congress wrangles over how to improve the military's handling of such cases

The Senate on Thursday blocked a bill that would have stripped senior military commanders of their authority to prosecute or prevent charges for alleged rapes and other serious offenses. Military leaders had strongly opposed the change arguing that limiting officers' authority over their troops would hurt their ability to command.

The vote was 55-45, short of the 60 necessary to move ahead on the legislation.

Lawmakers have grown irate over the escalating problems, which have included a large number of high profile sexual assault cases involving senior officers. Several cases also have involved officers who were part of the military's sexual assault prevention programs.

According to the Pentagon, the number of reported sexual assaults jumped by an unprecedented 46 percent last year, increasing from 2,434 in 2012 to 3,553 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2013.

Defense officials have said it's unclear whether the spike represented an increase in assaults or an increase in the percentage of people reporting them. There has been a major push across the military services to encourage victims to report assaults.